This season has been unusual for me - somehow going on a cruise during Thanksgiving threw things off. The "official" kickoff of the holiday season was spent on a ship somewhere off the coast of Mexico, eating anything BUT turkey (that's a good thing...) Coming back was a rush of things to do, laundry to wash, school projects to complete, and work to be done.
Now it's Christmas Eve, and I'm trying to figure out how it all passed me by. The most wonderful time of the year, other than my birthday, hasn't quite measured up... and maybe it's been up to me to just let it in. Just soak it in - the lights, the welcomed chill of winter in this usually warm state, the rain that cleanses all and, beyond the gray, makes things brighter and more intense.
I found myself wrapping presents in the rush that is the days leading up to Christmas, and planning a menu, and wondering what Mass we'd attend, and what the girls would wear, and whether or not we'd be able to drive to the mountains on the 25th as planned with the forecast calling for snow showers. And somewhere through it all came the voice of my scroogey brother - "You lie to your children! The whole idea of Santa Claus is a lie!" He's a Grinch!
And through it all, I found Santa once again. Beyond the reason for the season and the celebration of the birth of Christ, despite having missed most of the Advent Masses, the spirit is back!
Yes, I believe in Santa Claus. I track him down through NORAD with my girls, so they too may believe, although in a different way, through children's eyes. I believe in Santa, not because he'll bring me presents, not because I'll tell the story to my girls, not because of the songs we'll sing through the season. I believe in Santa because of what he represents, at least to me. In this season of commercial insanity, Santa still represents the season of hope, the possibility of magic, and the ability of wishes to come true.
I believe in Santa because I believe in hope.
1 comment:
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